A principled, generous, and brilliant man. Like many others, I benefitted enormously from Peter's constructive criticism, advice, and enthusiasm. The strength of his convictions was matched only by the breadth of his interests. My condolences to his family and friends.

I was very sad to hear that Peter came to pass away. An intellectual leader, and a fine and most inspiring man has passed on. My condolences to all at the MPIWG, and Peter's family; he will surely be missed, in Berlin, and all over the world.

Giovanni Di Pasquale, 2011/12/05 13:03

Ciao Peter, keeping in mynd the days we spent together in Naples, working on ancient roman balances and steel yards, the meetings in Italy and in Berlin. No words to express how sad we are, a great privilege to have met and known you

From Peter Damerow I learned many wonderful things. First, I learned a great deal from his challenging and distinctive approach to the history of science. Peter's emphasis on the close analysis of sources and on drawing connections between apparently far-flung domains inspired and continues to inspire my work. When I came to the MPIWG in 1999 as a graduate student studying ancient Greek science and philosophy I never imagined that I would have so much to learn from the study of cuneiform texts. Second, I gained a powerful vision for using technology to advance scholarship – a vision that eschewed needless complexity and emphasized the need for creative interactivity between scholars and technology. Third, through Peter I came to know German as a conversational language, as well as the culture of Berlin, in the course of many late night dinners after long days of work at the Institute. Finally and perhaps most importantly, Peter showed me what can be achieved if one pursues a scholarly vision with uncompromising intellectual integrity combined with fierce loyalty to one's friends and colleagues.

Each of these lessons is something for which I will always be grateful. Taken together, they changed my life. I will miss Peter terribly, though his example will always be with me.

... Remembering the times when we worked closely together fills me with sadness, butalso with deep gratitude for the privilege of having had theopportunity to learn from him. I hope always to be guided by the modelof his intellectual rigor, integrity, generosity, and cooperativeness.

Peter was a very special friend and an example in all respects. In momentslike this, there are no words strong enough to express our feelings. We willhonor his memory with our behavior for a saner society.

... He was always genuinely interested in the intellectual questions surrounding any proposal, even when he did not agree or did not see the point. And he was the kindest, most decent sort of person one could ever hope to meet and work with...

... For me personally, even as remote as I am from the daily life of the Institute, this is a deeply felt, difficult loss.

Peter was a very special friend and an example in all respects. In momentslike this, there are no words strong enough to express our feelings. We willhonor his memory with our behavior for a saner society.

Kostas Gavroglu, 21. November 2011, via rennoffice, 2011/12/02 11:17

... Peter was one of those rare intellects. I feel myself very lucky to have known him and discuss all kinds of issues around our profession. I have this vivid memory when he did not understand immediately something technical we were discussing, but once he understood it he started asking questions of incredible depth, as if he knew the subject all along... It is a loss that will be sorely felt in the profession and in the Institute.

Werner Heinrich, 21. November 2011, via rennoffice, 2011/12/02 11:03

... I would like to express my condolences to you and his other friends and colleagues at the institute whose lives he touched. I know Peter was a very special and treasured friend who's death leaves a void to be filled now by fond memories and his works.

Angelo Baracca, 21. November 2011, via rennoffice, 2011/12/02 10:46

... my condolencies to all the staff members of the MPI, and to all collegues who new Peter, and appreciated his human and professional qualities.

Steve Tinney, 21. November 2011, via rennoffice , 2011/12/02 10:43

... He was such a force, and such an influence, and I willalways value the fact that I had the privilege of working with him andbeing his friend.

I was terribly grieved to hear that we had lost our great friend Peter Damerow. On behalf of myself and Institute for the History of Natural Sciences (IHNS), I mourn over him. ... As our very respected, intellectual and upright friend, Peter contributed very much to our cooperation and young scholars-training, and so on. As a historian of science, he was a good model for us. We will keep alive what Peter presented to us, and actively remember him.

Miki Elazar, 21. November 2011, via rennoffice, 2011/12/02 10:30

... I wish only to convey my condolences and let you know how much I appreciated his intelligence, kindness and astonishing dedication to his work.

José M Pacheco, 21. November 2011, via rennoffice, 2011/12/02 10:26

With great sadness I have learned about the passing away of Peter Damerow,whom I greatly appreciated as a most eager person there at the MPIWG. HereI express my condolences to all the Institute's community. May he rest inpeace.

Arie Krampf, 21. November 2011, via rennoffice, 2011/12/02 10:16

...I did not knew Peter very well, but during my time at the MPI I had several discussion with him. He was special person and intellectual alwayswith a smile on his face...

We could learn a lot from Peter Damerow. Not the least how to handle the adversities of life with grace.

Manoel de Campos Almeida, 2011/12/01 12:44

I`m deeply grieve with the news that Peter passedaway. He was a great friend, a extraordinary person with a immenseenergy, and a enormous work capacity. The History of Science lost oneof its great masters.

Peter Damerow was an intellectual I admired since I first heard him speak in a conference in Tel Aviv, back in the eighties. His dedication to an intellectual vision was a source of strength for himself and inspiration for many of us. His uniquely broad interdisciplinary knowledge, coupled with a sharp and critical mind and an indispensable sense of humor have left deep traces on our common project in the last years. His struggle against the disease and his insistence to carry on his work until the last moment will be preserved as a precious legacy. I send my deepest sympathy to his wife and family, to my friends and to the community of scholars at the Max Planck Institute for History of Science. Let Peter's memory stay alive in our hearts and minds.

It is with profound sadness that I write these words after learning of the death of Peter Damerow, and I send my deepest sympathy to his wife and all the members of his family, both biological and intellectual.But it is also with a feeling of deep gratitude, gratitude for having had the opportunity to know and learn from Peter, both in person and through his writings, which have had a profound influence on my whole approach to the foundations of mathematics in particular and of human knowledge in general.We who are materialists believe that a person lives on after death through the influence that he or she has exerted on the lives of others. In this sense, Peter will live on long after his mortal remains have perished, as a beneficent influence on the lives of so many of us.

Sun Xioachun, 2011/11/30 02:15

I am very sorry to hear this sad news. I had great working experience with Peter every time I visited Max Planck Institute. In our reading seminars his comments were always insightful, and his questions penetrating. We benefited a lot from talking with him. He represented one of essential elements that make MPIWG intellectually powerful and attractive. We will remember him for long time to come.

Margaret (Peggy) Haines, 2011/11/30 00:25

I share in the mourning for the most remarkable man and friend, Peter Damerow. Our project, Gli Anni della Cupola (online edition of the documentation for Brunelleschi's cupola), of course owes its very existence to his initial interest and continuing inspiration, and I fondly remember our work discussions and seminars as well as the moments of relax: a lovely weekend with Ingrid and trip to Artimino and Vinci, the ascents up the Cupola, the last of which was so recent.He will be remembered by the internet site as long as it is alive, and its survival will be the result of his clear thinking about what needed to be done back in 1998. We are grateful and now overwhelmed with nostalgia for his dapper, enthusiastic and demanding presence - and hope to have learned a bit of it ourselves.

Dan Potts, 2011/11/29 23:29

Although I was never part of the ancient Mesopotamian mathematics group that met in Bitterstr. 8-12 in the early 1980s when I was Hans Nissen's Wissenschaftlicher Assistent, I saw Peter with Hans and Bob Englund regularly and always enjoyed his quick mind and sense of humour. In about 2006, on a visit to the DAI, I reconnected with Peter, visiting him in the 'new' MPIWG. Just as I was leaving, he said there was a new initiative on the globalization of knowledge and if I was interested, I should give it some thought. I did, and very quickly emailed him a proposal for a small group to look at the history of various technologies in ancient Eurasia. One thing led to another - my attendance at a planning meeting that Peter and Jürgen organised with other MPIWG and foreign colleagues, then a workshop, a month as a visiting scholar, and ongoing contact with this great group of scholars, lastly in March at the very interesting Mongolian workshop. Peter's was a dynamic intellect that inspired everyone who knew him. I know I shall miss him very much.

I simply can not believe that Peter has really left us. For me, he is one important part of the sprite and life of MPIWG. Dear Peter, I have learned so much from you, and what I learned from you will be a treasure for my whole life, that is not only for my research, but also for my attitude toward research and life. Now you may have a rest in Heaven.

Lorraine Daston, 2011/11/29 18:33

Peter Damerow was a scholar of remarkable breadth, as a glance at his publications testifies, and also of remarkable penetration, looking for patterns in the most diverse materials. He traversed several disciplines and many centuries in his career. Throughout, he was an open-minded critic, first and foremost of his own work. At the MPIWG he was the personification of intellectual intensity and integrity, and he will be sorely missed.